Rodrigo Andres Stein Morales is not just a public health student—he’s a changemaker. Whether in his role as an MPH student in the School of Public Health’s Executive Public Health Administration and Policy program or as Director of Health Equity and Strategic Community Partnerships at a Washington, D.C.-based organization, Morales seeks to tackle some of the most pressing health challenges facing our communities. 

His ability to bridge research with real-world advocacy led the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice to name him to an exclusive list of outstanding public health students—one of only ten people from across the country to be named “Students Who Rocked Public Health.”

“As an immigrant, I often draw comparisons between the structural barriers to health I experienced growing up in Central America and the challenges I observe here in the U.S.,” Morales said. “Public health provides me with the language and contextual framework to illuminate how the social determinants of health are deeply intertwined with health outcomes—far beyond the medical advances of a country. As a public health student, this perspective has shaped my understanding and commitment to addressing these systemic issues, and that’s what I tried to show in my master’s project.”

To read about Morales (and the other members of the 2024 list), go here.